Disassembly

Most metal frame/case keyboards are easier to disassemble than plastic case variants, and the Durgod x HK Venus is no different. All you need to do is remove a few select keycaps, of which there are not many to begin with anyway, to access the six Phillips head screws holding the PCB piece in place inside the aluminium case. Once all the screws are removed, you can easily lift off the top piece, which has a steel plate and the PCB itself. The aluminium case is substantial and contributes to the majority of the mass, and a foam-isolating piece and plastic liner underneath prevent electrical shorting of the PCB. We also see that the PCB goes through an inset to accommodate the indicator LEDs shining through the holes in the case.


The PCB is mostly rectangular aside from that small part jutting out for the indicator LEDs, and it is this part that goes into the recess in the aluminium case we saw above. It is white in color and has markings to indicate this is a Durgod design. Solder quality is really good here, and the switches are soldered through the plate and onto the PCB. Powering the keyboard is an STM32F070RB 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 Cores-based USB microcontroller with 128 KB on-board flash memory and 16 KB SRAM. This is a lower-end microcontroller built with a strict price range in mind, and Durgod is no doubt using it to save on cost of materials. As such, do not expect a lot of complex lighting effects, but this is plenty enough to power static/dynamic per-key 16.8 M RGB lighting. All the components, including the switches, LEDs, and tantalum capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.

Before we move on, be advised that disassembly may void the warranty and that TechPowerUp is not liable for any damages incurred if you decide to go ahead and do so anyway.